It can be tough to decide where to dine out in a metropolitan area filled to the brim with excellent eats. Dining Reports are just one way to get the word out on the restaurants Eater SF editor Dianne de Guzman is eating at, but the Best Dishes column
is where she breaks down the singular dishes that stood out, were maybe inadvertently left out of a report, or just haven’t (yet) found their way into coverage — until now.
Hot honey shrimp at Dai Pai Dai Lo
Honey walnut shrimp is one of those dishes I will always order, anywhere. Its execution can be all over the board, but it’s one I love all the same. And when the honey walnut shrimp is outstanding, it makes me sit up and take notice. The hot honey shrimp at pop-up Dai Pai Dai Lo is one such version. First off, the tiger shrimp is just as large as the picture makes it look, already an excellent start, with about 10 ounces of shrimp to its name, as Vincent Yu (the chef behind the pop-up) recently told me in an interview. Impressively, each shrimp managed to maintain its crisp, fried exterior even after being tossed in mayo. The dish delivers some flavor punches, namely in the habanero Kewpie mayo, the pickled and fresh radishes, and the grated horseradish on top. It’s a combination that comes together in unexpected ways, and didn’t sit on the table for long. Every future honey walnut shrimp order will probably be compared to this one. Dai Pai Dai Lo is a pop-up, and the next event is set for Monday, July 27, at Four Kings (710 Commercial Street, San Francisco). Check the pop-up’s Instagram @daipaidailo for the latest event details.
Classic combo at Ilbunjee
Sometimes a restaurant hits in just the right way, at just the right moment. It’s part circumstance, part dishes, part drinks, and part… something — a restaurant alchemy that is deeply personal and without reason. Ilbunjee was one of those meals. Consider this a shoutout for the melange of meats and banchan that make up the classic combo at this Santa Clara restaurant. While some may complain or dislike the lack of sauces here, it’s kinda what I liked most about it: just pure grilled meat flavors paired with salt, pepper, and sesame oil. Sometimes I can be in the mood for some sauces and marinades, but there’s something to be said for places that can’t and don’t hide behind the flavors. Paired with a variety of banchan and drum tables that harken back to oil drum grills used during and after the Korean War, Ilbunjee feels like a restaurant that was really leaning into tradition without the (unnecessary) flash. And at the right moment, it can feel like a lifesaver. Ilbunjee (2325 El Camino Real, Santa Clara) is open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 5 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.
Hamachi tostada at Chicano Nuevo
Look, the Eater SF team has already previously waxed poetic about the dishes at Chicano Nuevo, particularly the tamale negro, which former Eater editor Paolo Bicchieri wrote up as his own Best Dish back in 2024. But with the opening of Chicano Nuevo’s new restaurant space in Bernal Heights, it seems time to sing the praises of a different dish: the hamachi tostada. What really makes this dish stand out are the details. Capers play a dual support role in two surprising ways, namely with the caper aioli and the fried capers the plate comes dressed with. Thinly sliced cucumbers offer fresh crunch alongside tostada-crunch, and pickled chile onion relish complements the fish, tempered by a limey guacamole (literally the name of Chicano Nuevo’s guacamole). I’m never dignified around a tostada — Is there even a way to eat tostadas neatly? DM me your method, if so — and I’m willing to make myself a mess for this tostada, or any of Chicano Nuevo’s dishes, if prompted. I’d dare say it’s worth it. Chicano Nuevo (3355 Mission St, San Francisco) is open 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Reservations are available via OpenTable.
Mortadella pizza at Sforno
It feels like the Bay Area is in a mortadella renaissance. I don’t know when, or how, but I’ve been encountering it more and more on dishes and I’m really, truly, here for it. Mortadella was never really part of my deli/sandwich world growing up; kid me had more experience with American bologna at my childhood grocery store, and it never held much appeal then. Well, consider my eyes opened. One of the best deployments of mortadella that I’ve encountered recently is the mortadella pie at Sforno Pizzeria Napoletana, the new pizza shop that opened up this year in Hayes Valley. It’s not just because of the mortadella, but because of the balance of flavors this pie pulls off. Peppery arugula meets the mellowness of burrata and fresh mozzarella, pistachios give a buttery, nutty crunch to it all, shaved Parmesan for bursts of salt, with mellow, meaty, mortadella to wrangle it all. The dough itself manages a crisp bottom with a fluffy crust, a worthy vessel for all of these ingredients. Sforno (514 Octavia St, San Francisco) is open 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
